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- February
2021
Rockstart Ecosummit Zoom 21 April 2021
On my 50th birthday, we join forces with our friends at Rockstart to celebrate together the smart green founders and investors writing success stories while saving our climate and planet. It is our pleasure to invite you to the very special Rockstart Ecosummit Zoom 21 April 2021 which is free and invitation-only, just like any other good birthday party. We kick off our meeting with the embedded Rockstart Energy Demo Day 2021 presenting 9 new portfolio companies, the next generation of European smart energy startups. Afterwards, we take over the mic and unmute 5 Ecosummit speakers including Christoph Frei (Emerald Technology Ventures), Ernesto Garnier (Einhundert), Matthias Dill (Energy Impact Partners), Christian Chudoba (Lumenaza) and Thomas Goette (Greenpocket). Please send us an email to request your invitation to Rockstart Ecosummit Zoom 21 April 2021. It’s time to make smart green business and have some serious fun.
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- February
2021
Ecosummit Zoom 10 March 2021
We continue our monthly online events and happily invite you to Ecosummit Zoom 10 March 2021 co-hosted by Christoph Ostermann (ex-Sonnen), Gerard Reid (Alexa Capital) and Bart Markus (GAP Technology Holding). We focus on connecting fundraising startups and active investors to foster 100% electric mobility, 100% renewable energy and 100% sustainable cities. The agenda features 10 exciting speakers including 3 CVCs with portfolio pitches: Nils Aldag (Sunfire) building a global hydrogen powerhouse, Jan Lozek (Future Energy Ventures) managing Europe’s largest energy startup porfolio, Nick Woolley (ev.energy) optimising EV charging, Erin Hallock (BP Ventures) investing in game-changing energy startups, Tom Anderson (Grid Edge) providing AI for building energy systems, Nicolas Milerieux (Encevo) redefining smart energy corporate venturing, Arnaud Legrand (Energiency) enabling energy intelligence for manufacturing, Davor Sutija (NexWafe) advancing solar wafer deeptech, Florian Meyer-Delpho (Installion) scaling the installation service provider for the energy transition and Janice Goodenough (Hydrogrid) developing the autopilot for hydropower plants. We have open speaker slots, so please get in touch if you want to pitch at Ecosummit Zoom to accelerate your startup, fund or portfolio. Get your tickets and join us, it’s going to be super special again.
Read more- 27
- January
2021
Ecosummit Zoom 10 February 2021
Our mission is maximising our impact until 2030, the global deadline for carbon neutrality. We focus on connecting fundraising startups and active investors in smart green energy, mobility and cities. We kindly invite you to our 10th Ecosummit Zoom 10 February 2021 and are very happy to announce 7 amazing speakers, including one of the most successful impact entrepreneurs who is a free business man again, recently rejuvenated and exploring new adventures: Christoph Ostermann (ex-Sonnen) will be joined by Simon Koopmann (Envelio) who is launching their Series B, Freerk Bisschop (Rockstart), Michael Peters (Sunvigo), Erin Ericson (Vestemi), Monica Vaksdal (Think Outside), David Hunt (Hyperion Executive Search) and our co-host Gerard Reid (Alexa Capital). There are open speaker slots, so please get in touch if you want to speak at our monthly online events to pitch your startup, fund or portfolio. Our goals are 100% electric mobility, 100% renewable energy and 100% sustainable cities – this sounds like we all have a lot of work to do.
Read more- 5
- January
2021
Ecosummit Zoom 20 January 2021
We wish you all a healthy, happy and successful 2021. It’s a new year, a new game and a new chance to make smart green investments, promote your portfolio, find the best startups for open innovation or raise your next financing round. As we don’t have any time to waste to save our climate and planet, we’re very happy to invite you to Ecosummit Zoom 20 January 2021. The agenda features 8 inspiring speakers: Gerard Reid (Alexa Capital), Terhi Johanna Vapola (Helen Ventures), Constantin Schwaab (Wirelane), Pieter Waller (Chargetrip), Luis Orsini-Rosenberg (Gethenry), Michel Hunsicker (EDF Pulse Expansion), Matthias Karger (node.energy) and Michael Niggemann (Enerthing). Bart Markus (GAP Technology Holding) joins the discussion as co-host. Please get in touch if you want to speak at our monthly online events to pitch your startup, fund or portfolio. Our mission is maximising our impact until 2030, the global deadline for carbon neutrality. Our goals are 100% electric mobility, 100% renewable energy and 100% sustainable cities. Let’s automate sustainability in every industry and build big startups with big impact.
Read more- 2
- December
2020
GreenCom Networks raises €12M Series C led by Shell Ventures
Breaking news at Ecosummit Zoom today: Founder CEO Christian Feißt unveils the €12M Series C of GreenCom Networks led by Shell Ventures and supported by new co-investor Energy & Environment Investment (EEI), Japan’s leading smart green VC making its first investment in Europe. With the help of EEI, GreenCom is already working on entering the Japanese market and talking to potential customers. Existing investors Centrica, Future Energy Ventures, Munich Venture Partners and SET Ventures, who all happen to be Ecosummit 2020 sponsors, participate in the new financing round of their portfolio star. The Munich-based company was founded in 2011, employs 65 energy, software and innovation experts, has a very strong management team and enjoys increasing commercial traction. In fact, GreenCom launched its Series C at our first Ecosummit Zoom 6 May 2020 and announced the closing 7 months later at our 8th Ecosummit Zoom 2 December 2020. Celebrating this funding milestone and our productive friendship, Christian just renewed their Ecosummit 2021 sponsorship. That’s the way we like it.
Read more- 29
- October
2020
Ecosummit Zoom 2 December 2020
Our mission is maximising our impact until 2030, the global deadline for carbon neutrality. At the end of this challenging year, we want to celebrate a very special online event together with you featuring some of the best founders and investors in our Ecosummit community. You’re welcome to join our 8th Ecosummit Zoom 2 December 2020 and enjoy a preview of our 100% smart green future as well as an inspiring conversation on doing an IPO and being a listed startup. The agenda features 17 fantastic speakers: Leonie Baneke (Eneco Ventures), Christian Feisst (Greencom Networks), Marco Beicht (Powercloud), Frank Schlichting (Kiwigrid), Joris Jonker (THE FCTR E), Thomas Öström (Climeon), Adam Kostyal (Nasdaq), Marc Fischer (Total Carbon Neutrality Ventures), Frederico Gonçalves (EDP Ventures), Andreas Stubelius (Swedish Energy Agency), Mamoun Taher (Graphmatech), Andres Anijalg (Roofit Solar), Liliane Ableitner (Exnaton), Simon Daniel (Moixa), Andrew Mack (Octopus Energy Germany), Michael Wilshire (Angel) and Robert Trezona (IP Group). Our co-hosts are Gerard Reid (Alexa Capital) in the morning and Bart Markus (GAP Technology Holding) in the afternoon. Please get in touch if you want to speak at our monthly online events to pitch your startup, fund or portfolio. Let’s automate sustainability in every industry and build big startups with big impact.
Read more- 10
- March
2020
Energiency raises €4.5M Series A led by Encevo
Ecosummit startups are startups that pitched at least once at Ecosummit. Ecosummit investors are investors that have at least one Ecosummit startup in their current portfolio. Today the Ecosummit startup Energiency announces its €4.5M Series A led by the Ecosummit investor Encevo. At the same time, we get one more assist because CEO Arnaud Legrand first met VC Analyst Quentin Dupraz at Ecosummit Paris on 6 March 2018. The French startup and the Luxembourg utility speak the same language and quickly found out that they not only understand each other but also have similar ideas for developing joint business opportunities in the industrial energy market. As Nicolas Milerioux and his team are on the mission to expand corporate venturing and open innovation, Energiency turned out to be a really good match for Encevo’s strategy and portfolio.
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- February
2020
Solar data manager Solytic raises Series A from EWE and Vattenfall
Data is key and enables new business models. The more data you have the better. This is also true in the solar industry and that’s why solar data manager Solytic is a hot startup these days. We’re happy to break the news that Solytic celebrates the first closing of its Series A raising almost €5M from new investor EWE and existing investor Vattenfall, 2 of the top 5 utilities in Germany. As a result, Vattenfall owns a bit more than 20% and EWE a bit less than 20%. The A round was also joined by 3 business angels led by ex-Goldman Sachs banker Frank Oliver Lehmann. EWE’s impressive investment manager Justin Müller met Solytic’s Enrico Ohnemüller and Vattenfall’s Alexander Hain on 16 May 2019 at Ecosummit Berlin and learned that Solytic was planning a new round. As EWE is transforming into a smart green utility that believes in the power of data and wants to grow its renewable energy business, the Berlin-based startup immediately looked like a good strategic fit and smart investment. In fact, Solytic is open to talk to new investors providing strategic value because the next financing round is already planned.
Read more- 4
- February
2020
Mobile battery pioneer Instagrid raises €8.5M Series A led by SET Ventures
They take mobile electricity where it has never gone before. Their goal is smart green electrification without local CO2 emissions. Their solution is replacing stinky diesel gensets with silent mobile batteries. Today Instagrid makes a big step forward and celebrates the closing of its €8.5M Series A led by SET Ventures and joined by Segnalita Ventures, part of the Swarovski family office which also owns Tyrolit, Germany’s early stage power house HTGF and the Frankfurt-based family office blueworld.group. At the same time, this transaction boosts our Ecosummit track record of successfully matching startups and investors. In fact, Instagrid and SET Ventures met for the first time at Ecosummit Berlin 2019. While this sounds very romantic, the A round is a major milestone for every startup and the beginning of a long-lasting relationship with many board meetings and follow-ons until the M&A or IPO exit.
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- December
2019
Envelio raises €6M Series A from Ecapital, HTGF and Demeter
Today Envelio announced the successful closing of its €6M Series A led by Ecapital and joined by the existing investors HTGF and Demeter that both increased their share more than pro rata. Envelio is an Ecosummit startup as we like it. Co-founded in 2017 by 5 PhDs and researchers at RWTH Aachen, the German smart grid startup first pitched at ECO18 Berlin and then opened its Series A on 15 May 2019 on stage at Ecosummit Berlin. This was the start of 2 busy days for Envelio’s Founder CEO Simon Koopmann running through a myriad of hot VC meetings including the first deal flow conversation with Ecapital’s Hannes Schill.
Read more- 3
- November
2019
Smart green startups you should know
Our deal flow is on YouTube. We’re happy to present the best smart green startups in energy, mobility and cities that pitched at Ecosummit in the past on Ecosummit TV: Dendra Systems, Solar for Schools, First Light Fusion, Thermondo, Tado, Greencom Networks, Discovergy, Moixa, Instagrid, Blixt, Climeon, Sunfire, Electrochaea, Volocopter, Lilium, BlaBlaCar, Cityscoot, Vulog, Forsee Power, Sigfox, Kiwigrid, Origami Energy, Exeger, Epishine, Fos4x, DEPsys, Lumenaza, Gridx, ENIT Systems, Envelio, Ubitricity, Devicepilot, Skeleton Technologies, Cosmo Tech, Metron, Surfcleaner, Sunna Design, Agrilution, Airlabs, Ekwateur and Clevershuttle. These startups represent exciting investment opportunities with environmental, financial and strategic returns for (C)VCs and family offices. All of them work hard to create big climate impact and many of them have the potential to become smart green unicorns made in Europe. Pitch at Ecosummit Berlin 2020 to tell your startup growth story and increase the quantity and quality of the term sheets in your next financing round.
Read more- 29
- November
2017
SET Ventures announces Limejump investment at Ecosummit London
It is our common goal to build big startups that have big impact. Co-investing strengthens the investor syndicate and enables startups to grow faster. Following this goal, Amsterdam-based SET Ventures announces their new investment in Limejump at Ecosummit London. ECO17 London took place last week at the magnificent LSO St Luke’s, attracted 140 participants and presented 38 startups, most of them actively fundraising. In fact, SET Ventures transfers another €3M to Limejump doubling their Series A which was led by Statkraft Ventures in July. This is the first co-investment of SET Ventures and Statkraft Ventures but it may not be their last one given that they have the same investment strategy and different competences and networks.
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- July
2017
SET Ventures announces investment in Greencom Networks at Ecosummit Amsterdam 2017
An energy IoT platform startup was missing in their portfolio. Today, Rene Savelsberg shares again good news at Ecosummit Amsterdam 2017 and announces SET Ventures‘ new investment in Greencom Networks. The German software startup provides an energy IoT platform for utilities and OEMs to enable Distributed Energy Resources Management (DERM), competing with AutoGrid, Kiwigrid and C3 IoT. SET Ventures leads the new €3M round and is joined by the existing investor Munich Venture Partners.
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- May
2017
Inven invests in Cloud&Heat and Eneco invests in Next Kraftwerke
2 European corporate VCs announce their new investments today at Ecosummit Berlin 2017 proving that German smart green startups are innovative, competitive and very attractive investment opportunities. Inven Capital, funded by the Czech utility CEZ, met Cloud&Heat one year ago at Ecosummit and today invests in the Dresden-based early stage startup. Founded in 2011, Cloud&Heat provides energy efficient data centres that use server heat for hot water and heating in commercial buildings, reducing operating costs of data centres by 50%. The Dutch utility Eneco invests in Next Kraftwerke and acquires a large minority interest of 34%. Founded in 2009, the Cologne-based late stage startup operates a large Virtual Power Plant (VPP) across 8 countries in Europe with 2.8 GW of renewable energy capacity under management. After acquiring 50% of Lichtblick in January 2017, this is the second major smart green energy investment of Eneco in Germany.
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- April
2017
Visedo is the rising star of the Finnish cleantech scene
To get out of fossil fuels and enable a global energy transition all industries must be electrified and powered by renewable energy. Founded in 2009 in Lappeenranta, the high-tech epicentre of Finland’s Far East, Visedo is an early mover when it comes to electrifying marine vessels such as ferryboats and barges and heavy duty vehicles and machines used in mining, construction and transport. Visedo makes customised electric propulsion systems to convert vessels and vehicles to fully electric or hybrid machines with zero or low emissions. After raising a €13.5M Series C in December 2016 from Emerald, VNT Management, Sinituote, Tesi, Green Campus Innovations and others, Visedo is now the rising star of the Finnish cleantech scene enjoying sustainable traction.
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- February
2017
Call for smart green startups: Pitch at ECO17 Berlin and apply for ECO17 Award and Ecosummit Europe 100
Since 2010, we have established Ecosummit as Europe’s leading smart green innovation and impact conference for startups, corporates and investors active in energy, mobility, buildings, cities, materials and food. In 2017, we organise 4 conferences in Berlin, Amsterdam, Stockholm and London presenting over 150 startups. Our flagship event Ecosummit Berlin 2017 takes place on 9-10 May 2017 at the Radialsystem, unites over 300 participants and is supported by an innovative group of sponsors. Now we call the best smart green startups in Europe to get promoted by pitching at ECO17 Berlin, applying for ECO17 Award and getting featured in our new startup list Ecosummit Europe 100. Past Ecosummit Award winners include Sonnen (Series D), Heliatek (Series D), Tado (€20M from Inven) and Kiwigrid (Series C).
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- February
2017
Kiwigrid raises Series C to build global energy IoT platform
Kiwigrid raises a double-digit million Euro Series C from Aqton, Stefan Quandt’s family office that also invested in Heliatek’s Series D, Innogy and LG Electronics to build a global energy IoT platform. The Dresden-based smart green startup won the ECO16 Gold Award in the late stage category and has got over 105 employees. High-Tech Gründerfonds, Germany’s largest seed investor with 80% public money, and Innogy Venture Capital, the old corporate VC fund of Innogy that is in its divestment period, sold their shares completely and celebrate a financial exit with positive returns.
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- November
2016
Statkraft Ventures teams up with ETF Partners and leads $5M Series A in Greenbird from Norway
Ubiquitous smart meters are a key infrastructure component for the smart green utilities of the future because they generate a lot of valuable data and enable new energy services and dynamic pricing. In fact, it is a surprise that smart meter rollouts happen rather slowly in most countries due to slow regulators and hesitant utilities that are not yet ready to make substantial upfront investments in millions of smart meters that may bring more economic benefits to consumers than to the utilities themselves. Luckily, the Nordic countries and their resident startups have a headstart. Today, Düsseldorf-based corporate VC Statkraft Ventures leads the $5M Series A in Greenbird teaming up with London-based ETF Partners who were on the top of their potential co-investor list. The Norwegian energy IoT startup is Statkraft’s second investment this year after DEPsys from Switzerland in June.
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- October
2016
Sonnen raises €76M Series D led by Envision Energy and targets IPO
This is a massive financing round. In fact, it is the biggest equity round raised by any Ecosummit startup so far because Sonnen‘s €76M Series D is pure equity. Christoph Ostermann pitched for the first time at Ecosummit Düsseldorf 2012 when he was still working on his Series A. Having secured €20M in three prior funding rounds, the total venture capital raised now amounts to €96M. The new investors are the Chinese wind turbine maker Envision Energy and the family office of Thomas Pütter, ex-CEO of Allianz Capital Partners. At the same time, GE Ventures that were announced as a new investor in June 2016 and the early investors Ecapital, SET Ventures, Munich Venture Partners and Inven Capital all participated in the Series D, too. Make no mistake, Sonnen is a well-funded and licensed utility that challenges all incumbent utilities by inventing new energy services and making electricity free for owners of PV and battery systems.
Read more- 11
- October
2016
SET Ventures announces investment in Energyworx at Ecosummit London 2016
Our smart green innovation community is making more deals and sharing breaking news at Ecosummit. During today’s ECO16 London presentation, Rene Savelsberg announces the new investment of SET Ventures in Energyworx, the Dutch software provider for energy data analytics and management for utilities. SET Ventures joins the existing investor HenQ to complete Energyworx’ Series A in which both VCs co-invested a couple of million Euros and made additional capital reserves for follow-on investments. Energyworx is the first investment since the Amsterdam-based smart energy VC reached the first closing of SET Fund II at €60M in February 2016. With the software skills of HenQ and the energy experience and network of SET Ventures Energyworx is now poised to accelerate its growth and win new utility customers in Europe and America.
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